Start your German company.
GmbH or UG — notary, Handelsregister and tax handled in English, end to end. Every other legal form too.
Every legal form in Germany, one desk.
One owner, full personal liability. Trade and tax registration — no notary, no share capital.
Two or more partners with personal liability. Partnership agreement, trade and tax registration.
GbR entered in the Gesellschaftsregister — required to hold real estate or company shares. Notarised filing.
Commercial partnership, every partner fully liable. Handelsregister entry via notary.
One fully liable general partner plus limited partners. Handelsregister entry via notary.
Limited liability from €1 share capital. 25% of annual profit must be retained until €25,000 is reached.
Limited liability, €25,000 share capital (€12,500 paid in). The standard for banks and business partners.
A GmbH holding your operating companies — structured for the participation exemption from day one.
Two formations in one: a GmbH as general partner of a KG. Partnership taxation with limited liability.
Stock corporation: €50,000 capital, supervisory board and formation audit. For larger or investor-backed ventures.
German branch of an existing foreign company — no new legal entity. Handelsregister entry with apostilled parent documents.
Business account with an online bank (e.g. Qonto, Finom), usually within days.
Traditional bank: KYC file, appointment and follow-up. Typically 3–6 weeks.
Frankfurt · Düsseldorf · Munich · Berlin. One-time set-up; monthly fee by location, quoted separately.
Register, trademark and domain check before the formation.
Prices on request: you get a written, fixed offer after a free consultation. Government, notary and register fees and any statutory capital are billed separately at cost. Non-EU citizens running a sole proprietorship or partnership in Germany usually need a residence permit that allows self-employment.
What's included
- Formation in any German legal form, end to end
- Document preparation & notary coordination
- Handelsregister (commercial register) filing
- Trade office registration (Gewerbeanmeldung)
- Tax number & VAT (USt-IdNr) registration
- Digital handling, in English
- A dedicated point of contact
Additional services
- Bank account opening — EU founder
- Bank account opening — non-EU founder
- Registered business address
- Company name check
What happens next
- 01Book & confirmSubmit the form; we confirm scope within one business day and send the engagement letter + invoice.
- 02PrepareArticles drafted, notary appointment coordinated, every document prepared for signature.
- 03Notarize & registerNotary appointment, Handelsregister filing, share-capital deposit.
- 04OperationalTax registration and VAT ID — ready to trade.
Book your Germany formation
Free consultation · written, fixed offer after we confirm scope
What trips founders up — and what we plan for.
- Notarized founding is mandatory — plan logistics from abroad
- Substance is scrutinized — a registered address alone is not enough
- Steuerberater required for filings (we partner with two)
- Banking onboarding for non-EU founders takes 3–6 weeks
Frequently asked questions
01Do I have to travel to Germany?+
Usually once, for the notary appointment — or it can be handled via power of attorney / video notarization where available. We plan the logistics with you.
02GmbH or UG — which one?+
GmbH (€25,000 capital) carries more weight with banks and clients; UG (from €1) is the lean start that can convert later. We advise during scoping — at no extra cost.
03Can non-EU founders own 100%?+
Yes. Foreign ownership is unrestricted; banking onboarding for non-EU founders simply takes longer (3–6 weeks). Bank account opening is available as an add-on.
04Is the bank account included?+
No — it's an add-on (an online bank for EU founders, a traditional bank for non-EU founders). A GmbH, UG or AG needs a business account before the register filing, because the share capital must be paid into it. If you don't book the add-on, you open the account yourself.
Anything beyond this scope is billed hourly — support & accompaniment and consulting & expertise, with a written offer before we start. Plus 19% VAT, provided by West Consultings (Germany). Minimum one hour; travel time at the full rate.
Provided by West International Consulting LLC (USA). No VAT is added.